Tom Groenfeldt

NYSE Technologies takes in 3-4 terabytes a day which was too much for its Oracle database; it turned to IBM's Netezza platform and some innovative storage solutions so it can hold the data for seven years.

Teradata Aster has ease of use features that mean business users can use it directly. Where 5 data scientists might have been required before, now just 1 data scientist can set it up and business users can go to work.

Restaurants and wineries in the popular resort area of Door County, WI have learned that rotating art shows, along with openings that take advantage of an artist's mailing list, are a good way to publicize their business and build their own mailing lists.

For five years the Peninsula School of Art has sponsored a Plein Air festival, inviting selected artists from around the country who come to Door County and spend a week painting. They work around the county, chat with people, hold some workshops and sell their work at auctions when the week ends. The event draws several thousand people who watch, buy, and even paint in the final Paint-Out on Saturday morning.

When Peninsula Players, one of the nation's oldest summer theaters, put on Chicago it was a break from the usual plays of the season. I sat with the directors to learn how a musical works.

The tugboats on the Great Lakes move barges and maneuver lakers into port through wind and blowing snow. The History Channel did a series, some of it starring John Selvick, a captain from Sturgeon Bay, WI.

IBM integrated servers save costs and are faster to implement.

Innovative startups with good programs for finance can often run out of money before they find the right contacts in a bank. The FinTech Innovation lab screens companies, brings in 6 or 7 for 12 weeks of close, intense work with bank IT leaders, explaining what banks need that differs from a retailer or government agency. Wins all around, with participation from very senior, and enthused, bankers.

Combining information from the former chairman of the FDIC, the former CEO of Wells Fargo, and a key Wells Fargo CIO to explain how one bank has been a success without any Federal bailouts.

Banking goes green by getting rid of paper, examples from around the world.

Tresata, based in Charlotte, NC came out of a very large bank in that city and now offers big data solutions for banks

The financial crisis had a huge impact on trade finance in Asia, putting many Chinese firms out of business, Letters of Credit took on new meaning, some exporters wanted solid banks to guarantee LCs from Citi. Cargo ships were turned around and sent home because payment wasn't available, and some banks like SEB managed to use the crisis to expand their business.

People who don't prepare instructions for the end of their lives often wind up with miserable extensive and intrusive medical treatments that they don't want. Some hospitals in Wisconsin are national leaders in promoting

Advanced medical directives should allow some leeway for the person carrying them out, and recent medical journals suggest a few ways, including if/then. If a person is in pain that can only be handled in a hospital, they would be moved. If mobility has ended, then no further life support. It's hard to predict future conditions.

Pragma Securities details how HFT hurts long-term investors by making them cross the spread in high volume markets.

Traders can type in a bit of a company name and pull up information in fractions of a second without memorizing instrument codes. The answers are smart -- they know if the trader is interested inequities ir bonds based in North America or Europe and his usual currency.

back office systems haven't kept pace with the front office and there is a price to pay.

Like many financial firms, JPMorgan was using spreadsheets here it should have used an application with an audit trail and calculations that had been thoroughly checked. Here are two alternatives to relying too heavily on Excel.

Restaurants and servers are missing some revenue, profits and tips by not serving wine well. A good wine list that ranges from affordable to impressive in price can make the dining experience more enjoyable and add to the tab, which is good for businesses and servers. Some tips from restaurants in Door County which have done it well.

Avanade, a partnership between Microsoft and Accenture, thinks Windows 8 will be adopted fairly quickly in tablets for field works and sales people because they offer iPad convenience with Microsoft security. Call centers will lag far behind, execs with get Ultrabooks, convertibles - touchscreens with keyboards, will become the norm.

General aviation is good for businesses, especially those operating in Door County, a peninsula. The Sturgeon Bay Airport handles significant jet traffic, although local businesses find prop and turboprop planes do better, especially during the winter. Customers and prospects often fly in rather than fly to Green Bay and drive the 50 miles to Door County.